Everton star Richarlison has once again claimed he rejected an offer to join Barcelona back in the January transfer window.
This time speaking to Canal Pilhado on Youtube, the 23-year-old was first asked if he recently had offers to leave the Goodison Park, and that’s where the transfer chat started.
“Man, it came from Barcelona, right. Then it came, the club talked to me, I talked to the club too. So we decided to stay here because we were in the middle of the competition and I also didn’t want to let my teammates down”, Richarlison said.
“Because we were doing well in the league and I didn’t want to leave the club in a situation like this. So it was a moment that moved me, but I think happiness spoke louder, because here I am in a happy place. Of course that was going to be an opportunity, but here at Everton I’m very happy, so I think I made the right decision.”
Asked if he got moved by such opportunity, Richarlison confirmed it, but claimed he’s very happy at the Premier League side.
“Yeah, man. It’s like I said. It moved me a little, weighed a little. But I think what weighed more was what I’m living here at Everton. I’m happy here, I got a place in the national team here. Some things I dreamed of I achieved here at Everton. So I think it weighed more, so I’m very, very happy here at Everton and that’s what weighed in the decision.”
Quizzed if it was him or Everton who turned down the bid, Richarlison claims it was a decision from both.
“It was mine with the club. I told the club I said I wanted to stay because I was happy here and also because it was like I said, it was halfway through the league, and it was going to be bad for me to leave, because I have a lot of joy here with the fans. The fans like me. It was going to be a little upsetting for me to go out like this in the middle of the season with everything I did here for the club. So I think it was not the right time.”
“At the time, I think Suárez was still injured, they needed a striker there. But that’s what I said, man, things didn’t go forward, I was also a little moved, but that’s part of football. I’m happy here at Everton and that’s what I did. I think I made the right decision.”
The interviewer said that if he rejected Barcelona, then it’s unlikely that any other club in the world could take Richarlison away from Everton, but the player has made it clear the fact that the offer was made in January was a totally different situation than what could happen in the summer. He also claimed that the failure of a few Brazilian players have discouraged him to move to the Camp Nou.
“That’s what I said, man, it’s more because it was in the middle of the league. I was doing well at Everton, I was in all the call ups from Tite. And like it or not it weighed a bit too, because I saw many Brazilians going to Barcelona and not settling. So it also weighed a little bit.”
“I saw Malcom going there and he only played a few games and then moved to Zenit. Coutinho, he moved to Bayern. So it weighs, like it or not, it weighs, man. Because we’re playing well here, we’re going to the national team and we’re also playing at the national team, and suddenly you go to a club… maybe you don’t get an adequate adaptation, you go to the bench, sometimes you don’t go to a game, it weighs. So I think, as I said, I made the right decision.”
